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I would agree that this thread belongs in the "Chit Chat Zone". But I do find it refreshing that there are still corners of the internet where respectful civil discussions can still be had, and have truly appreciated reading the majority of the non-solar (but still off-grid/prep-related)...

Sure. Yes, connect to the inverter via https://your-inverters-ip (wifi or ethernet), and sign in as the installer, as you said. Visit "Device Parameters", click "Edit Parameters". Under "Grid Monitoring", find "Set country standard" dropdown. Choose "SMA Island mode 60 Hz", click "Save All"...

I think it really comes down to how much I'm willing to subject my family to the inconvenience of conserving power during those cloudy winter days. Earlier this year, during a rare snowstorm, an identical system nearby produced just 7kWh total in 3 days. We use something like 15kWh/day if we...

Project M0ckingbird was circa 70 years ago. And now they have modern tools like "social media", ChatGPT et al. Your country's pandemic response resembled China's. I'm saying this from a place of love and respect, but... you can keep your culture and way of thinking to/for yourselves. I'd offer...

Yep, exactly. My local co-op has raised their "availability charge" by nearly 100% in just 2 years, while dropping per kWh rates. They've also had ads in their "free" monthly magazine urging members to contact their politicians about unfair net metering. (aside: I do agree that net metering is...

I've been using ESS for several months now. Completely off-grid, but my Victron system is fed by a pair of Sunny Islands. ESS works (for me) more or less exactly as advertised. It targets that value, and either pulls or pushes that amount of power from the AC input. In a situation where loads...

My local co-op has doubled its "availability fee" over the past 3 years, while rates for power itself have barely budged, and actually dropped slightly with the latest rate tariff update. The monthly magazine they send out, published by a cooperative of co-ops, had a full-page ad on the back...

After procuring a turn-key power station on a trailer (a trailer from the DC Solar bankruptcy auctions), I set about expanding its limited 2kW of PV with another 8kW, courtesy of a Sunny Boy 7.7, and have been using them in an off-grid configuration to power my house, with occasional switchovers...

I picked up the non-"smart" version for $275 including tax+shipping. I actually just finished capacity testing it. Made it to the advertised 1280wh and stopped the test with some residual capacity remaining. I also got a few copies of the LPFMAX 100ah (also non-smart) via Amazon, and those also...

I presume that many of us that are off-grid and AC-coupled have implemented Rule 21/UL1741SA frequency shifting, to curtail PV output when production exceeds loads and battery charging capacity. Rather than curtail production (and "waste" power), I'd prefer to make use of it! In the winter, a...

If you run Home Assistant on a Raspberry Pi, there's an integration for the IR blaster that @robby linked to.

Also, it's pretty easy to verify the N-G bond. With all power off, you should measure continuity from N to G, and after breaking the bond in the panel, there should no longer be continuity. Replace the bond, confirm continuity, and you'll know you've got it right. 👍

Meaning, you think they'd want to inspect inside the house? That's already crossed my mind, and it's the main thing that's given me pause... Home was built and wired by the (deceased) owner, and there are a litany of violations--for example, the house panel is a subpanel that didn't even have a...

I got a phone call from co-op asking if I had solar, since my usage had basically gone down to zero. I confessed I did, but explained that the system was isolated from the grid, connected like a backup generator. Guy from the co-op said that's fine, but I couldn't connect an inverter to the grid...

There's no permit needed where we live--which can be both a blessing and a curse. I actually have already been through the inspection process with the install I did for my in-laws. The guy who showed up was friendly and laid back. But that was just a simple GT system--the off-grid stuff with the...

I suppose "larger" and "smaller" is relative. I really like how panels are cheap, especially when over-provisioned compared to the inverter's capacity. I'm trying to decide if I'd be better served by expanding my PV or battery bank, and leaning towards adding PV. More battery would be very...

Lots of other good advice here already. My two cents: If you want to completely ditch the grid, it'll entail an extreme lifestyle adjustment. I've been "off-grid" for over a year now, so I am speaking from experience here. You'll need: a substantial up-front investment of: money for panels...

I had a whole reply typed out, but @sunshine_eggo beat me to the punch--buy or borrow a bench power supply, set it to 13.8 - 14.0V, and see if you can't get those batteries topped off and balanced. This is the first step you have to take if you want to test the batteries' capacity. You might...

No, no... I had disconnected battery 2, and just applied a float charge after adding water to all the cells. The EQ run was performed on battery 1 by itself, since I had the impression that EQ on both batteries in parallel was boiling off water from battery 2, and not accomplishing anything on...

I'm writing to share my recent experience with trying to add AC coupled PV to my existing Sunny Island and Sunny Boy system, in case it proves useful to anyone. Ideas and suggestions welcome! Backstory/set-up: I had a DC Solar trailer with 2kW on-board PV, DC coupled via Midnite Classic. No...

I was referring to this statement: @AntronX seemed to float the idea of hacking the ECU via CAN to get a sustained 16kW output. But if the Toyota guys implemented a time limit on the forced charge like you described, then I don’t think I’d even want to attempt to seek that kind of continuous...

Well, if you're being fair, it doesn't have quite the same surge capacity as a pair of 6848 units. He didn't mention if he intends to AC couple--I've read lots of issues with that, too. About to embark on my own adventure with AC coupling. Hopefully my experience is smoother than others have...

The wooden privacy fence in the background looks like it handled the wind just fine. Granted, there are gaps between the pickets, but it makes me wonder if your array might have survived if it had been a bit closer and benefited from a windbreak. I guess attaching to the fence would be a...

This is the issue, @olivefarmer . Imagine you have all your Sunny Boys hooked up, and you're consuming their full peak output. Suddenly, your consumption load switches off. Sunny Boys are all outputting their full power--where does it go? Until the frequency can be shifted, that power has to be...

Since I don't have a webbox, and can't seem to justify the expense of Data Manager just to monitor SoC of my battery, I'm looking for alternatives. I encountered a project here on this forum (@madsci1016) that talks to Sunny Island as a "fake" BMS via CAN. But the fact that the SI needs to be...

I'm on the same utility as OP, and got a call from them the day before @cgreen started this thread. I've been running my system completely off-grid for about 6 weeks now. They said they'd noticed my meter wasn't reporting any usage, and wondered if I might be using solar? I said yes, and...

What really helps is if the feed water is already piping hot. Most days we end up with excess solar, and it gets dumped into the hot water heater first until maxed out (and finally to A/C in summer, heat pump in winter). Since there's a fairly lengthy pipe between the HWH and dishwasher, we open...

After reflecting a bit, maybe it’s best to follow @sunshine_eggo ’s advice and claim warranty, if eligible. They’d probably ask you to follow some steps to confirm the battery is actually faulty, so that way, you could kill two birds with one stone. A shunt is a handy way to see power in use...

I’d seen a similar video before. Pretty impressive! So… Based on the battery manufacturing/recycling industry, I guess the only way to completely freshen a battery is to melt down the plates and put fresh electrolyte in. I think you’re right, but I’d really like to know for sure. Even if it’s...

Thanks for sharing! Almost snagged one, but I really need something with a heat pump...